Dispensing attachment for collapsible tubes



March 24, 1931. HOMER 1,797,686

DISPENSING ATTACHMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed April 29. 1930 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented 7 Mar. 24, 1931 PATENT OFFICE UNITEDFFSITATE'SU.

mm B. HOMER, or BALTIMORE, MARYLANn DISPIENSING ATTACHMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE DU RES My invention relates to an improved dispensing attachment for collapsible tubes such as are commonly employed as containers for pastes, creams, artists paints and similarmaterials, which are ejected from the tube by compressing the latter.

One object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly cheap and simple device for the discharge-end of the tube whereby the same may be quickly opened or closed without the necessity Another object is to provide an improved device for such tubes wherein a sliding valve is employed to effectually cut off the ma-- terial discharging from the tube and seal the latter against the atmosphere. 4

A further object is to provide an improved valve device for such tubes wherein the valve,

'20 whether in its open or closed positions, will not project from the casing in which it is confined or expose a gummy or sticky surface that can come in contact with the hands of a user, and i A still further object is to provide an improved valve device .for collapsible tubes which may readily be attached to the ordinary nozzle of such tubes in place of the screw in the open position'and the contents being 4 discharged therefrom onto a tooth brush, .and

Fig.- 5 shows a cross-sectional detail "through the tubular valve-body.

Referring to theseveral parts of the device by reference characters, the numeral 6 designates a collapsible tube, such as is commonof threading a cap thereportion of the tube on 1 Application filed April 29, 1930. Serial No. 448,189.

1y employed as a container for tooth paste, cream or other semi-fluid substances.

These tubes usually have a breast7 and a nozzle 8 projecting therefrom.

. If the device is detached therefrom, then the nozzle 8 will be-providedwith means for effecting such attachment, such for example, as exterior screw-threads 9, as shown in Fig. 4.

While the improved device may be used. to dispense a measured quantity of the material, no stress on this point, as the user may operate the device to eject only a measured quantity of the substance or not as desired. It is my observation that some users prefer more of the substances at a time than others to .have the form of an. attachment for such tubes, so that itmay be and I have therefore designed the structure in order that the user may dispense such quantity as may be desired. I

The improved device in this instance has the form of an attachment and consists of a short tubular body 10 having an interiorly screw-threaded socket 11 at its inner end to screw over the nozzle.8, and at its outer end 12, said body is preferably beveled and has an eccentrically-located semi-circular port 13 in the higher portion of said beveled end.

On the interior of the body 10, and in aline- -ment with the eccentric semi-circular endvalve-chamber 14 which port 13,1 provide a latter extends in a direction parallel with but to one side of the longitudinal central axis of the tube and its nozzle-passage.

, This valve-chamber 14 is closed at its inner end 15, and in cross-section.

permanently said chamber is semi-circular as c'learly shown in Fig. 5, with one flat face 16.

The circular wall of the tubular body 10 is provided with a longitudinal slot 17 which opens into the valve-chamber 14, for a purpose that will presently be explained.

A longitudinal passage 18 is also provided on the interior of the tubular body 10. The rear end of this passage extends around the inner closed'end 15 of the valve-chamber 14, while the outer end of this passage extends laterally across the front end of the valvechamber an! communicates with the semi- I shear the paste from that chamber.

lriirtrlzular port 13,- in the outer end 12 of the This passage 18 is therefore the dispensing passage, in that its inner end communicates with the nozzle of the collapsible-tube, while it extends around the valve-chamber and opens at the discharge-port 13.

A slide Valve 19 is positioned in the valvechamber and is semi-circular in cross-section to conform to the cross-sectional shape of The forward end 20 of this valve is beveled to correspond to the beveled end 12 of the tubular body so that when the valve is moved forward to the ejecting and sealing position, the forward end will be flush with the beveled forward end of the body, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1.

Another advantage in beveling the forward end 20 of the valve is, that when it is moved forward against the charge of paste in front of it, its beveled edge'will cut its way and the surrounding walls and thus clean the walls at each forward stroke, thereby preventing the paste from leaking around the valve and working rearwardly into the valve-chamber.

A headed pin 21 passes through the longi= tudinal slot in the tubular body and enters -the slide valve 19 whereby the latter may also . end of the collapsible readily be actuated by the fingers of the user to move the valve to either a closed or position.

The operation of the device, it is believed, can readily be understood by reference to Fig. 4, wherein the valve is shown retracted to open the dispensing passage. When the valve is in this retracted position, slight pressure on the tube will force the contents through the said passage and out through the port 13. If a tooth-brush 22 is-held in front of the beveled end 12 of the tubular body, the paste may be distributed thereover.

Having described my invention, I claim,

1. A collapsible tube, a tubular body atone tube and communicating with the interior thereof said tubular body having an interior valve-chamber and having an interior dispensing passage which extends along one side of the Valvesage which extends along one side of open and said body also having a dispensing pasthe valve-chamber and terminates at a point in front of said chamber, a slide-valve arranged in the valve-chamber with both of its ends concealed on the interior. of the body when it is in the retracted open position and means extending laterally from the slide-valve to the exterior of the body for operating said valve.

3. A collapsible tube, tending axially from the end of the said tube, said body having an eccentrically-located port in its end and a longitudinal slot in one side between its opposite ends,said tubular body also having a valve-chamber in alinement with the eccentrically-located end port which chamber is entirely closed at its inner end, the body also having sage whose inner end communicates with the collapsible tube beyond the closed end of the valve-chamber and whose outer end terminates in front of the valve-chamber, a slidevalve in the valve-chamber with both ends concealed therein when said valve is in the open position and means extending through the longitudinal slot of the'tubular body and engaging the valve for operating the same. In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

- MAZIE B. HOMER.

a tubular body exchamber with its forward end extending laterally in front of the valve-chamber said body also havinga discharge-port eccentrically-located with respect to its longitudinal axis and a slide-valve in) said valve-chamber said slide-valve having both of its ends on the interior of the tubular body when the valve is in the open position. i

2. A collapsible tube, a tubular body at one end of said cpllapsible tube said tubularbody having an outer trically-located discharge-port \therein said body also having a valve-chamber on the interior thereof which is also' eccentrically-lo v catedwith respect to the longitudinal axis of the body and in alinement with said port a dispensing pasend with an eccen: 

